No, sorry I'm not 100%, this has been translated through my italian man, however, we've had it looked at by two garages, our local and a vauxhall dealer - both have said the same thing. It may have lost a bit in translation and my ignorance but both attached it to their "computers" and both independantly said that the timing of the pistons are out, there's low compression in three cylinders, it's burning oil so the pistons are damaged and need replacing??? Vauxhall also think that there's other damage hence the £2800 price tag.
So we havent had it taken apart as we're told that that alone will cost £300 - £400.
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Without taking the head off they can only be guessing. How many miles?, regular oil changes?, you haven't let the oil get too low?, temperature get too high?.
Personally, I woudn't pay that for a rebuild - either a replacement engine or one from a breaker would be my route.
I've not heard of "timing of the pistons is out"...
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Sadly *if* you need a new engine these figures are in the right region! The company Dizzy mentions are one I trust, but because they are good their exchange engine will set you back just under £2000 delivered.
Add to this sundries associated with an engine swap, like perhaps a new clutch and exchange injectors, fluids and consumables...well your parts bill could soon exceed £2250!
Put labour on top and I guess an absolute minimum of £2500!!
But what has happened to cause your problems? As already mentioned oval pistons (or bores) can only be diagnosed after an engine strip...and I would expect this engine to top 200,000 miles before such wear issues became serious enough to warrant this level of expenditure.
So what has happened to your engine? How many miles recorded. Has it been serviced with regular oil changes, and at what intervals. Has it sufffered timing belt failure at any time. How long have you owned it. Has the engine suffered any other incident, like running out of oil or driving into a flood?
M.M
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£2500 is cheap to replace the engine on this model.
Ivor Seale make some very good exchange units.
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn/problems.msnw?Page=1 - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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That i`m aware of a computer cannot yet give a positive yes or no.Unfortunatly if the piston`s are as bad which is doubtfull.could be down to valve`s guides/seals but not actually knowing if the motor has been thrashed since new or not.ie how long have you had it.If it has been taken to max rev`s during run in it could be piston`s/ring`s/bores in which case best get a recon or new unit.if you think worth it
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The car's done 110,000 and is an ex fleet car so might well have been thrashed knowing company car drivers. We've only had it 18 months and have added about 15,000 miles. It came with a full service history but who knows........ before anybody else says it, we just shouldnt have bought it but as said, you would expect 200,000 out of a diesel before anything this bad! and the rest of the car is in really good condition .... It's been looked after since we've had it but as the pressure in one of the chambers is fine, it has been suggested that one of the pistons has been changed just before we got it?? does this seem plausible?
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Normally, but not necessarily, all four pistons would have been changed. However, if the previous people had stripped the engine to replace a badly damaged piston, they might have decided to leave the other three if they would 'just about get by' and if they were about to sell the car. So 'yes' it is plausible.
I shouldn't worry too much about the circumstances of the problem, that will just add to the frustration. Many, perhaps most, of us here have been caught out by buying a car that has been put up for sale purely because it has expensive repairs looming - just look at the number of times people posting here about problems have been advised to "sell it quick". It's disappointing that this very selfish attitude exists; but that's the way it is with a lot of people.
Incidentally, did the 'full service history' show that servicing had been carried out at the correct intervals? I've looked at several cars over the past three or four years where FSH was claimed but the servicing was recorded as many miles late, tens of thousands of miles in two cases (a BMW and a Mercedes Benz).
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Your last paragraph is important Dizzy. Last year I cast someone into the wilderness after several years looking after her car because she did a very high mileage, drove it hard and often went up to 10K *over* the 6K service interval. Also the oil level was always well below the minimum, like about 2.5lit left in from a 4.5lit capacity...yes really!
The effect of this was that the engine was worn out at 100K whereas other examples of the type are often good at 225K.
Yet the car was otherwise clean and in the glovebox was a "full service history". Only if you sat and carefully read the details and dates would the abuse come to light. A quick glance at the stamped pages, as most folks do when viewing, would have been very misleading.
M.M
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I personaly have never accepted a full service history.Various reasons I have no doubt most will know why.But I will not question those that do.And for most it is up to them.I don`t intend explaining myself.I know most buy a car due to this.But have never found it conclusive evidence the car is well looked after/serviced correctly? I think that beggs the question is fsh worth the paper.?
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